North America: Pueblo Bonito
For hundreds of years the Anasazi called Chaco Canyon, New Mexico home. Named Pueblo Bonito, or “pretty village” in Spanish, this structure contained buildings, like our present day apartment complexes, that rose 2-3 stories in height. Housing between 800-1200 people, it is estimated that Pueblo Bonito had more than 600 rooms.
Kivas, circular structures that were slightly beneath ground level, were used for astronomical and ritual purposes. Two large and numerous small kivas were located at Pueblo Bonito. The exact center of a kiva can be identified by listening for an echo when snapping your fingers.
Scientific evidence reveals that a severe drought affected the region in approximately 1150 AD, and at that time it appears that people began to disperse from Pueblo Bonito to outside regions.
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